Chinese Mango Festival offers Kenya export market

A farmers poses with mango fruits. China has entered among the countries offering a market to Kenyan mango farmers. Photo courtesy of CGIAR.

China has opened its market for more than 20,000 farmers to export mangoes during the country’s 18-month-long festival.The Chinese globally commemorate a 1968 communist leader, who sent the fruit to workers, after receiving a carton of mangoes from a visiting Pakistan foreign affairs minister.During the Chinese Mango Festival, more than 23,000 tonnes of the fruit will be exported in respect to demand.The Chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in East Africa William Zhuo said offering Kenyan farmers an alternative export market is a direct way of “putting money into their pockets”.Zhuo was speaking during the joint China- Kenya Agribusiness and Agro-industry Alliance (KAAA) forum in which about 500 farmers sold more than 20,000 mangoes in two hours.“The event was organised for the mango farmers in Kenya. Already, 15 tonnes of mangoes have been exported to China since the farmers approaches us through the Kenya national Chamber of Commerce,” Zhuo said.Machakos County farmers, who are some of the leading producers of the fruit, will be among the top beneficiaries.The move puts China in the list of the Asian countries-including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain- which buy the mangoes from Kenya. Mango prices drop by more than half when they are ripe and the market is limited. Kenya produces mangoes in large quantities from November to April. During peak times, the farmers incur losses because the market cannot absorb the entire produce.

Currently, a mango of about 500g costing Sh30 when firm and ripe can shed off Sh15 or Sh20 within three days if not bought.Juice blending buyers offer poor prices to farmers and other distributors when the fruit is over-ripe.But with the onset of the festival, which started on February 15, 2017, farmers will have ready market in exporting the fruit to China and other countries where the celebration is held.The 18-month festival started in Zurich, Switzerland, and it will continue until June, 2018. It will also be held in German and the UK.Chinese workers commemorate communist leader, Chairman Mao of 1968. The information is in courtesy of the KAAA and the UK’s Telegraph.